CSW BREAKING: Home Invasion-Kidnapping in Independence MO Saturday Evening

The incident took place around 6:20 p.m. at the Sundown Apartments near U.S. 24 highway and Sterling.


Here is the Independence Police news release pertaining to this incident along with the victim photo and photos of the three alleged suspects:

For immediate release: February 25, 2012

Home Invasion/Kidnapping

At approximately 6:20 p.m. this date, a Home Invasion/Kidnapping took place in the area of 500 Sundown Dr. (an apartment complex near 24 Hwy and Sterling).

Four suspects entered an apartment and kidnapped the victim, 20 year old Stormy D. Declements of Independence.

The suspects are: 28 year old Christopher B. Harker of Independence,

20 year old Brent T. Warren of Kansas City, MO,

25 year old Kimberly L. Fulton of Kansas City, MO,








and a fourth person who is unknown at this time.






If anyone has any information regarding the suspects, and/or the crime committed, please call the Independence Police Department Detective Division at: 816-325-7330 or the TIPS-Hotline at 474-8477.




UPDATE - Early Sunday morning- Independence Police report that the woman who had allegedly been kidnapped- Ms. DeClements- had been located and was reportedly uninjured.

CSW Weather: Heads Up! Leap Year February Could Go Out Like a Bang

I've been seeing on the (four-times) daily weather models since Thursday that a strong low pressure/storm system could be affecting the Central States with a "possible" severe thunderstorm outbreak early next week.

Shown on the images here are screen caps of the GFS models for next Tuesday- February 29 on the "0000 UTC" or 6 p.m. CST model run Friday evening.



These and other weather models can be found HERE.

A bit of a model image tutorial: "L" shows the center of low pressures- "H" are high pressure areas- fronts are not shown.

The solid blue or red lines are forecast temperatures- in Celsius- at the 850 millibar (mb) level- or about 4600 feet above ground level (AGL): 0 is 32°F with 10 being 50°F.

The black lines indicate areas of equal pressures  or "isobars-" and the green areas are precipitation- lightest are light green- then darker green into blues.




The first image (1) shows a depicted onset of precipitation in our area early Tuesday morning (3 a.m.) just north of what should be a developing warm front that will initially be south of Metro Kansas City from southwest Oklahoma into northern Arkansas.

During the day Tuesday- that front moves northward toward the Metro (Images 2-4 follow red line)- with the front very near Kansas City by Image 4 or 12 noon local time.


Between 12 noon and 9 p.m. (Images 4-6) is probably our best time for severe storms.

Wind fields at altitude will be quite favorable as will needed Gulf of Mexico moisture.


The only caveat possibly hindering a more significant severe weather outbreak will be the cloud cover and on-going precipitation that will keep any daytime heating down.

If indeed we clear out- get some sunshine and warm up- a more significant severe weather outbreak- including tornadoes- is possible.


As mentioned earlier- these models run four times daily- and the forecasts can change.


Please keep abreast of the weather forecasts particularly late next Monday and Tuesday (CSW will be on it!) in case the conditions explained in this rather lengthy post do indeed come true.

Major Apartment Building Fire in Shawnee KS

At least ten fire companies from the Shawnee- Lenexa-  Merriam- Overland Park and Johnson County Fire District 2 fire departments are battling a three-alarm fire at an apartment complex...


The initial alarm sounded for a reported fire in one of the buildings at the Hampton Woods apartment complex in the 16800 block of West 68th Street around 7:05 p.m. Thursday evening.

The complex is southeast of the Shawnee-Mission Drive and I-435 interchange in Shawnee.

Smoke and fire was showing from a ground-level apartment when the first fire truck arrived minutes later- and the fire grew in the gusty west-northwest winds to a third-alarm stage wihin an hour.


There was a partial structual collapse about 45 minutes into the firefight- and all interior firefighting crews were removed and the fire was fought from outside the building from that point.

Other buildings in the complex were evacuated because of the fear of blowing embers igniting those structures.


The fire to burned the one  building virtually to the ground- but no report of any other buildings in the complex catching fire.

There were no injuries- although an unknown number of pets in the apartments in the fire building died.


At least 40 people lost all their possessions in the fire and were rendered homeless- the American Red Cross was assisting them.


Hot spots continued to flare with the diminishing wind conditions early Friday morning- with an investigation as to the fire's cause to be performed at daylight.

Q: Who Can- While Drunk- Broadside a Kansas City MO Police Car and Get a Virtual Slap on The Wrist?

According to this story from Kansas City's The PITCH- rich and connected Frank Ross III can!






(Ross is now eligible to join the Curtis "Mission Hills" Mertensmeyer Club For The Rich, Connected and Socially Irresponsible) 

CSW BREAKING: Crash Involving School Bus in Grandview MO

Grandview emergency services at 2:18 p.m. Wednesday afternoon responded to the west U.S. 71 frontage road at Blue Ridge near Truman Corners shopping center- where a school bus had reportedly struck another vehicle that was knocked "on it's side."

Extrication of the driver from the vehicle knocked on it's side by the bus was  necessary.


GFD-EMS and police said there were two minor injuries on the school bus- one was the bus driver.




The bus- according to Grandview authorities- was "Durham" bus company "bus number 29."


The bus was transporting students of the Hickman Mills school district's Junior and Ruskin high schools.


Three ambulances responded- one from the KC-MO FD-EMS service.

GFD-EMS-3 transported the "27-year-old female school bus driver-" said to be "11-weeks pregnant-" with non life-threatening injuries to a Kansas City medical trauma center.


GFD-EMS-1 transported the "85-year-old female driver" of the knocked-over vehicle- the one extricated by GFD crews- with a possible life-threatening head injury to the same hospital.


The driver was reportedly the only occupant of the vehicle.

The third crash injury was-according to a KCFD-EMS report- "a 17-year-old female who was on the (school) bus" who was (of course since busses don't have them) unseatbelted and "thrown from her seat" on the bus.

Her injuries were fairly minor and she too was transported to the same hospital.

Research Med Center's (that hospital) emergency room was "closed to trauma" patients shortly after receiving this third crash patient.

Other news media reported a total of three students were on the bus at the time of the wreck.

Kansas City Businessmen Need to Pay Back Taxpayer-Subsidized "Interest-Free" Loan

Kansas City transportation company mogul Bill George- along with his associate Bill Nigro- really needs to pay back cash-strapped Kansas City MO coffers...




The KANSAS CITY STAR reported the other day that the City of Kansas City floated an "interest-free" $200000 loan "in October 2009" to these two gentlemen to start a trolley service that transports weekend partiers from bar to bar for a price.


The STAR reports that in addition to that money- millionaire George has received "$220000 in various tourism grants (more KC-MO taxpayer dollars)" since 2009- for an at least grand total of $440000. 

.

The KC STAR story says payments on that loan are in arrears- and that ridership estimates made when the trolley service was first proposed were twice than what is actually occurring.




Mr. George- since you run the local Yellow Cab franchise along with other transportation entities and your personal net worth is AT LEAST a million bucks- can't you help out cash-strapped Kansas City MO coffers and pay back that "interest free" loan NOW?




It'll give the city clowncil a little bit of money to buy more parkland (drag strips) at least....

CSW BREAKING:: Several Northland Metro Kansas City Fire Departments Battle Barn Fire

A barn southeast of Smithville MO has been destroyed by fire Wednesday morning...

Fire departments from Smithville- Kearney- Edgerton/Trimble and Central Platte participated in the fire fight that was first reported at 10:19 a.m. at "2824 Sunburst Drive.




The first fire truck to arrive reported the barn was "fully-involved" in flames at 10:29 a.m..




It is not known if there were any animals or other expensive farm equipment inside the barn which pretty much burned down to it's foundations.

Didn't hear of any injuries....

Central States NEWS: Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Chief Admits His Company's Mistakes

Last summer brought the much-publicized Missouri river flood that brought record flood crests to locations upstream of Kansas City.

The flooding caused the shutdown of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant (shown in images here) and as of this post in late February 2012- that nuclear power plant is STILL shutdown.




CSW previous posts on Fort Calhoun's issues can be found HERE and HERE.




The NEBRASKA WATCHDOG posted a story on how the president of the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)- the owner and operator of Fort Calhoun- admits (in so many indirect words) that the OPPD made a number of mistakes in their operation of the plant.

The chief OPPD officer- Gary Gates- also says the plant would have been shutdown even if not for the Great Missouri River Flood of 2011.




America's Nuclear Regulatory Commission insists that the public is "safe" concerning Fort Calhoun's issues.




The groundhog in Pennsylvania also predicted six more weeks of winter too....

Independence Taxpayers Take "The Falls" For Underdeveloped Bass Pro Center

Last week- Bass Pro- the Springfield MO-based outdoor sports retailer- bit the proverbial hand that fed them.




Bass Pro won a lawsuit against the City of Independence MO... to the tune of near one-half million dollars.

You see- city leaders made all these pie-in-the-sky promises to Bass Pro to be the anchor of that shopping area known as "The Falls at Crackerneck Creek" that was built in the southwest quadrant of the busy I-70 and I-470/M-291 interchange.


According to the KANSAS CITY BUSINESS JOURNAL- those pie-in-the-sky promises cost Independence taxpayers $3.5-million in bond payments for the underdeveloped shopping area last year- and promises to cost at least that amount this year.


That would be $7.5-million gone (including the Bass Pro legal judgement) from Independence coffers in just two years- JUST for bond payments to ONE city-backed shopping center.


Independence city leaders are floating a sales tax increase this year for "law enforcement.




$7.5-million would have paid for A BUNCH of cops- but that's okay Independence voters/taxpayers.




Like Raytown and their WalMart sweetheart deal- and Kansas City MO with their huge subsidy of the Power and Light district- the new cops you hire with a higher sales tax voters will be scared-into approving will have plenty of pretty places to shop-  drink and eat (one even IN your city)....

Sexual Assault Reported in Lansing KS

Lansing police are investigating a rape reported in that eastern Leavenworth county city Tuesday morning.




The call was dispatched at 9:39 a.m. to an address in the 500 block of Pine Ridge Court.




No suspect or any other information was available yet.

Small Earthquake Shakes Southeastern Missouri Early Tuesday

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Missouri less than two minutes before 4 a.m. CST Tuesday morning.




It was a shallow quake according to the USGS- only 3.1 miles below the earth's surface- and there have been no reports of any damage or injuries.




The area affected is near the New Madrid fault- which produced several devastating quakes in the early 1800's.

CSW BREAKING WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Until 8 PM Cass and Johnson Counties MO

CSW BREAKING: Critical-Injury Crash Has Westbound I-70 Closed at I-470/M-291

At least two critical injuries have been reported at a multi-vehicle crash on westbound I-70 just west of I-470/M-291 in Independence MO..


At least 4 vehicles are reportedly involved- and westbound I-70 has been closed at that location.


AMR-EMS reports one of the critical injuries is "a 6 or 7-month-old female who was found on the pavement" of the highway.

She was transported to Children's Mercy Hospital.


Later information was that the child had been "in a car seat- but was not strapped in" the car seat.


Also critically injured is "the child's mother-" who was reportedly "ejected" from the vehicle during the crash.

She has been taken to Centerpoint Medical Center.


There is no additional information on any other injuries in this crash.

CSW WEATHER: Severe T-Storm Watch No. 34- KS-MO-AR-OK Until 9 PM CST

Another severe storm watch has been issued by the NWS' SPC...

Severe Thunderstorm watch No. 34 includes the extreme southern Kansas City MetroRegion counties of Bourbon in Kansas and Vernon in Missouri- including the cities of Fort Scott and Nevada respectively and is in effect until 9 p.m..

Thunderstorms- some severe- continue from north-central into southeastern Kansas and southward into Oklahoma.


The storm area continues to move east- with cells in the area moving rapidly north to northeast.

Some thunderstorms are expected in Metro Kansas City by 8 p.m. this Monday evening- perhaps producing small hail and gusty winds- but no severe weather is expected.

CSW WEATHER: First Severe Storm Watch of 2012 for Parts of Kansas

This is Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 33 that was issued by the NWS's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) for parts of central through south-central Kansas until 10 p.m this Monday night.

The watch DOES NOT include Metro Kansas City and is south and west of Emporia KS on the extreme southwestern fringe of the Kansas City MetroRegion.

As shown on the accompanying weather radar image from NWS-Topeka- storms have fired-up from northwest to southwest of Wichita.

This line is moving generally northeastward at 40 to 50 mph..


If these storms hold together- they wouldn't reach Metro K.C. until after 8 to 9 p.m..


Good news- the blizzard warning for two counties in extreme western Kansas has been cancelled by the NWS office in Goodland.

CSW BREAKING: Teen on Bicycle Struck by Another Bicyclist in Buckner MO

Fort Osage Fire and EMS crews responded to a crash in Buckner involving a "child"riding a bicycle who reportedly struck another bicyclist "head-on..."

Buckner is in northeastern Jackson county MO..

The incident was dispatched at 11:55 a.m. late Monday morning to the 500 block of South Hudson- or the intersection of Hudson and Hedrick Streets.


The patient was transported to Centerpoint Medical Center in eastern Independence- reported by the Fort Osage EMS crew as "a 13-year-old male" who "collided head-on with another bicycle being ridden by a friend."


The patient's injuries were decribed as borderline serious by the FO-EMS crewmember.

CSW WEATHER: National Weather Service's USA 30-Day Weather Outlook for March 2012

The National Weather Service's (NWS) 30-day outlook for March is out- and in a nutshell- warm temperatures with near to above-average precipitation is forecast for the Central States.



Metro Kansas City is forecast to see above-average temperatures with near-average precipitation.

There is a low chance of above-average precip for the eastern 2/3rds of Iowa and about the eastern third of Missouri.

The only below-average precipitation shown on the accompaying map images is a slight chance of that happening in western Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle.

CSW BREAKING: House Fire in Grandview MO

At 7:51 a.m. Monday morning- all three Grandview Fire department stations were dispatched on a house fire in the 14400 block of Craig is that southwestern Jackson county MO city.

"Black smoke" was reported by callers to 9-1-1 and confirmed by the first-arriving fire truck at 7:55 a.m..


All occupants were reported to have gotten out of the house and are not reported to be injured.

The fire reportedly originated in "a dryer in a bedroom-" according to a GFD dispatch report.


The Lee's Summit Fire department sent units to fill-in empty GFD stations.

At 8:21 a.m. GFD reports the fire is "out."

No injuries have been reported as of 8:35 a.m. and an official investigation was being conducted.